Unicorn Theatre by Keith Williams Architects

Designed by Keith Williams Architects, the Unicorn Theatre in Southwark, London, is the UK’s leading theatre for children and young people. The building includes the main 300-seat Weston Theatre, the 100-seat Clore Studio Theatre, as well as rehearsal studios, dressing rooms, and offices. Clad in pre-oxidised copper panels, the Weston Theatre is positioned seven metres above street level. Elsewhere the elevations are deliberately solid and cliff-like, punctuated by carefully controlled openings.

While the larger architectural gestures of the projecting main auditorium and the corner tower signal the Unicorn at an urban level, inside, the spaces are rich in child-scale detail and informed by narrative storytelling. The design incorporates a number of innovations– not least ‘flip up’ bridges above the stage, which greatly reduced capital cost relative to a conventional fly tower. The principle of raising the theatre and rehearsal room above the street served by a huge scene lift challenges orthodox views that auditoria should be on the ground.

Designed to high-energy efficiency standards, the building is naturally ventilated, save for the two principal theatres and rehearsal studio. Since completion, the spaces have required very little adaptation and change; a testament to the detailed work that the architect undertook with Unicorn Theatre to get the brief right at the outset. The client confirms that the building has been fundamental to its success in transforming young lives through theatre.